SAD set for solitary show at Maghi, to go ahead with conference

BATHINDA: With the incumbent Congress and main opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) staying away from holding political conference on the occasion of Maghi Mela, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is all set it to make it a solitary show at Muktsar on Monday.

The party has decided to go ahead with the political conference like the previous years despite Akal Takht asking the political parties to desist from holding conferences at days associated with Sikh religion. The SAD, however, says that Akal Takht had asked parties not to hold conferences only on the occasion of Jor Mela at Fatehgarh Sahib in the last week of December.

Maghi is observed in the memory of 40 Sikh martyrs (Chali mukte) who once had deserted 10th Sikh master Guru Gobind Singh but had come back to Guru and were martyred while fighting against the Mughal.

Apart from the Congress and AAP, even Sukhpal Khaira’s newly floated Punjabi Ekta Party and SAD (Taksali) are not organising rally at Maghi. SAD (Amritsar) led by former MP Simranjit Singh Mann, is the only party other than SAD which is organising conference. SAD (Amritsar)workers are making preparations for the conference. Thousands of persons go to Mukrltsar to pay obeisance at Gurdwara Tutti Gandi Sahib also called Darbar Sahib.

SAD has prepared well for the rally with party president Sukhbir Badal reaching out to workers to mobilise them. The SAD is expected to raise the issue of truncated farm loan waiver, issues relating to Kartarpur Sahib corridor and life imprisonment to Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in an 1984 anti-Sikh riot case to take on the Congress government.

“The Akal Takht had debarred conference only at Jor Mela. We are going ahead with conference at Maghi as no direction has been issued against it. We are hopeful of a massive turnout at the SAD rally as people are fed up with the Congress rule of 21 months. The people feel that Congress government has cheated them on many issues especially complete farm loan waiver and jobs in every household,” said SAD Muktsar MLA Kanwarjit Singh Barkandi who is overseeing arrangements for the conference.

AAP MLA Kultar Sandhwan said, “We respect the directive of Akal Takht and have decided against holding a conference. Party will sound poll bugle with a rally to be addressed by Arvind Kejriwal at Barnala on January 20.”

Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh had also recently said that his party would not hold a political conference at Maghi.

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